1) First Babysitter--technically Eli's first babysitter was back in May when he was about six weeks old and I needed to go back to work to finish out the school year, but he wasn't aware of a lot at that point. We haven't had a babysitter since, and it was the first time we got one so that Josh and I could go on a date (it's more difficult when you don't have family around). Carolyn, a woman that I visit teach and Josh home teaches, babysat Eli for about two and half hours on Saturday night. It was a much needed date for Josh and me, but we learned why so many couples think about their baby when they're out. As we were leaving the house, Eli gave us this really confused look like he was asking, "Where are you going, and why are you leaving me?" It melted our hearts. Fortunately, he didn't cry, and Carolyn said he did just fine, but he was very excited to see us when we came home.
2) First Time Sleeping Through the Night--that same night we got a babysitter, Eli slept through the night without waking up even once. That's never happened before (yes, many of you can count your blessings now). Unfortunately, it was a one time occurence so far because he hasn't done it again. Maybe we need to get a babysitter again?
3) First Cold--I've had a cold for the last several days, and unfortunately, Eli got it too. I feel so bad for him! Of course, he has a lot of congestion, and I'm continually wiping his nose, which he hates. I can tell he has difficulty breathing at times, which may be one of the reasons he hasn't repeated sleeping through the night. Hopefully we'll both get better before going to Grandma and Grandpa Pratt's house for Thanksgiving next week.
4) First Time Saying Dada--Eli has been babbling a lot more lately, and last night he said dada about three times, much to Josh's delight (okay, I was happy too, though I had to remind Josh that it's easier to say than mama, and Eli still doesn't know who dada is yet). : )
5) First Time Pulling Himself Up into a Standing Position--Eli surprised me the other day by pulling himself up onto the stereo. Later he pulled himself up onto a filing box, and he tries to do it now with the coffee table and couch. So far the coffee table and couch are a little too high, but if my leg is in front of the coffee table, he can pull himself up by getting on my leg first. Here's a picture of him when he pulled himself up onto the stereo:
